The past 5+ years I have worked for a leading Global Negotiation Consultancy, The Gap Partnership, which partners with over 350+ Fortune 500 companies, and where I earned my certification as a ‘Complete Skilled Negotiator’. I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of negotiations with millions of dollars changing hands, to deals impacting everyday conveniences in our lives that we would never otherwise think about. Now, I am able to leverage and apply my negotiation skills into something else I am passionate about; helping others and real estate. That said, my career began a bit more unconventional than most. After college, I traveled Europe chasing my dream of playing professional soccer at the highest level. From country to country, try-out after try-out, hostel to hostel, plane after plane, I quickly came to realize the idea of being a professional soccer player sounded much easier and certainly more glamorous in my head! One thing is for sure, it was an expensive dream. Looking back, one might say I didn’t even come close to seeing the return from all the time and money I spent. That of course all depends on how you look at it. I say, I continue to see my return time and time over again. For one, I met my wife in Poland, and have three beautiful kids. You can’t put a price on that .. although, my bank account would argue otherwise. Truth is, all my experience on the soccer pitch has equipped me with many of the skills I use today to be a negotiation expert - including tenacity, resilience, teamwork, single-minded focus on a goal, the importance of training and preparation, and most importantly dealing with discomfort. Because, whether you are simply trying to negotiate the rate at your next hostel, or negotiating a multi-million dollar home, there’s level of discomfort associated with negotiation. How you handle that discomfort, will ultimately determine how successful your outcome is. So while I may never be the next David Beckham on the soccer pitch – he still provides plenty inspiration for me on being a great dad – right down to the name of my kids! And there’s no doubt that working as a real estate agent keeps my trade sharp – it’s negotiating with my kids every day that keeps me on top of my game. Please feel free to contact me with any assistance in maximizing your next home purchase/sale, or if you have any questions on my negotiation background. Thanks!